Killzone: Last Resort
by Medusa's Minons
Summary: Story follows an ISA squad during the Helghast invasion of the planet Vilnius and the complications that come along the way as a general tasks them to help retrive a high value individual deep behind Helghast lines. Reviews are always welcomed.
1. Chapter 1 The Trenches

Killzone : Meetings and Ends

Outskirts of Halbourne on the Planet Vilnius

Private Mitch Heckler had grown used to sleeping with the constant echoes and vibrations of falling Helghast mortar shells. The city which the 23rd ISA regulars regiment was assigned to defend was nothing more than rumble and makeshift bunkers made from what was left of the last few standing buildings. After two weeks of a never ending barrage of high-explosive shells on a city of three million people there wasn't much left to see… or hear. Heckler was nineteen and three weeks out of ISA boot camp. This was his first assignment. The other four hundred soldiers he had trained with where also sent here to replace causalities here on Vilnius. The first week was mostly digging a trench waiting to be assigned to a squad that needed a replacement. Finally his chance came in a mix blessing. With fierce fighting all around the planet, every ISA unit was taking hits. Heckler was soon assigned to a squad with only seven soldiers instead of ten. Hearing about what had happened to them wasn't too great of news seeing what was about to come.

Halbourne was under siege but not one but _two_ Helghast regiments of the finest breed. Each regiment had enough tanks and heavy mortars to give a well defended city a trashing, which was what the ISA troops found out as they hunkered down in their trenches. Heckler pulled the thermal poncho closer to his body as he rolled over to trench wall. He had joined the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance after he couldn't afford college any more after a year. The Helghast invasions of the Outer Colonies was worry back on Earth due to the over population problem that sent millions out past the galaxy in search of a new place to call home. But the war had been dragging on for five years now. Both sides had lost heavily in lives and machinery. From what they had been told by the government, the Helghasts weren't considered human. A head taller than most humans, and had to wear some sort of breathing unit because the planet, Helgan, they lived on had mutated them so they could no longer breathe oxygen. Another strange side effect was that it effected their vision so they also had to wear menacing orange-glowing goggles.

" Heckler quit rolling around!" snapped Sargeant Minnie Davies in his casual gruff and angry voice. Davies wasn't a bedside manner person by any means… even if he tried. At thirty-one he was everyone's senior by ten or so years. He had been in the ISA for the better part of seven years and the war against the Helgans gave him a boost in rank which suited him just fine. Heckler lazily opened his eyes to see the haggard, prickly bearded face starring down at him.

"Sorry sarge just trying to sleep good." Heckler told him politely. Davies snorted and walked away. Heckler pulled himself up into a sitting position against the trench wall and saw another private looking out into the mine littered no-man's land.

"See anything Gator?" Heckler asked the stocky private who wore a dented helmet. Gregg "Gator" Hanson snapped his head around and would have gave Heckler a toothy grin if four of his front teeth hadn't been knocked out by a Helghast rifle butt.

"Nothing but booms." Gator said in a high-pitch draw that annoyed everyone around him. Heckler grunted and rose to his feet before grabbing his rifle that was leaning against the trench wall. Also leaning against the trench wall was probably the most shadowy man Heckler had ever met in his life. Private first class Rios. Everyone had forgot his first name long ago. Like Heckler he was of average height, but easily forty pounds heavier of powerful, unrelenting muscle. His face was ever drawn into a tight, almost pinched, unsmiling face while his shiny, green eyes never let down their guard. He had a scar on his right cheek from a Helghast knife blade. Rios now carried the knife. When Heckler had first met Rios his first instinct was to make any small talk that might upset him, especially after he saw him pick not one but _three_ mortar shell cases that weighed sixty pound apiece.

" Have nice nap?" Rios asked in his soft, dark voice that sometimes made Heckler wonder if Rios was really an angel of death. And seeing he never talked much anyway was another factor that made Heckler wonder if his time was up.

" Yeah Rios, how about you?" Heckler asked, not knowing his voice was a little shaky. Rios picked up his rifle and walked away from him. Gator was snickering as he peered over the trench wall.

" Quit trying so hard kid, Rios is Rios."

" Sometimes I think he's on their side." Heckler told Gator once he was sure Rios was out of earshot. Gator made a clucking sound with his tongue.

" No boy, you defiantly want him on our side." Gator reminded the newbie, remembering fighting with Rios on another planet… and the planet before that. A man with crisp fatigues came in, hands on his hips, wearing no load out other than a pistol and a fresh helmet.

" What the hell are you two yacking about?" corporal Simon Yearland demanded in a harsh tone. Yearland had a knack for drawing new gear constantly and for trying to be tough… which was a little hard when he earned no respect among his fellow squadmates. Heckler quickly found out despite Yearland's rank, he had no authority among them. Gator looked innocently surprised at Yearland's appearance.

" Yacking sir? Oh no Mitch, orangies is com'in to get us now." Mocked Gator using the slang ''organie" for helghast. Yearland tried to glare them both down but failed miserably. Yearland turned on his heels in mud made by the recent melting of the snow fall and headed off towards his comfortable dug out. Gator snickered some more and exchanged a high-five with Heckler.

" Works every time man." Gator laughed as Heckler adjusted the strap of his helmet to his chin. His helmet that had been issued to him had been the helmet of dead ISA soldier. With the planet cut off by Helghast aircraft supplies where thinning out until the ISN got their act together and plowed their way through. This was unlikely seeing it had been a week now since their squad had been given a resupply of ammo. Heckler fortunately hadn't used too much ammo since he had got here. Most of his time here on Vilnius was spent cowering in trench while tons of high-explosives where dumped on the city behind them. Their SAW gunner, Mack Bruaner, had only three belts left for his hell hammer of a weapon. In basic, Heckler had seen the rate at which a SAW spat out its heavy rounds. It could tear a house apart with a single belt. If anything, plenty of belts for a SAW was always welcomed.

Without warning Yearland came running around the trench corner, one hand keeping his shiny new helmet on his head. At first Heckler thought Yearland had forgotten something, but the fear in his beady, pig-like eyes was real.

" Sargeant Davies just got a call from company command. We're going over the top in five!" Yearland said excitedly, expect for the fact his hands shook a little. Gator rolled his eyes as Yearland stood there, bobbing his head up and down.

" Get your rifle fool!" snapped Gator as Yearland again spun around and ran off for search of his rifle," And he calls me a swamp homie."

Heckler felt his gut turn at the order. Running across a mine field wasn't something they trained for him to do. And why would they want to charge against a larger force which had pill boxes set up all over the place opposite of them. Never the less, an order was an order. Turning his rifle over so the shell ejector was facing him, Heckler snapped the bolt forward with a flick of his thumb, shoving the first of thirty 7.92mm bullets into the chamber of his rifle. The official name for it was the M82G,but to Heckler it was a rifle. At a first glance it looked like it had been put together by a child, but in actuality it was very reliable and accurate weapon. There was two versions of this weapon. The "G" model which was the most common came with a 40mm grenade launcher while the other, the "S" was simply a sniper rifle version of the weapon that came with a higher optical scope and match grade barrel.

Gator did the same with his weapon and came down from his perch.

" Might as well meet up wioth everyone to see what's going on." grunted Gator as he trudged past Heckler. It sounded reasonable enough for Heckler to follow him. The rest of squad was around the bend in the machine gun nest circled around sergeant Davies who was giving them a quick brief.

" I don't like the idea of going against the organies when they got better numbers than us any more than you. Let alone across a mine field, but at least those mines have FOF on them when we go across in the tracs." Heckler sighed in immense relief. Going in a APC with three inches of armor between him and any Helghast bullet was always welcomed. It was also better because each APC had a 30mm chaingun and ten Dragonbite anti-tank missiles.

" Our objective is to try and probe out where those mortars are. Air defenses are tough out there and every drone we've sent out has been shot down." Davies paused for brief second, " The entire company is going out and their will be combat. Everyone keep their shit together or else I'll put it together for you. Understood?"

A chorus of "yes sirs" and "hoo-rahs" came up from the undermanned squad.

Heckler was surprised to find out how afraid he was as the APC rumbled across the friendly mine field. Sure enough to Davies's word, the mines did have FOF signals, which meant they could distinguish between friendly and enemy vehicles. The noise inside the APC was enough to give anyone inside a headache within minutes of travel. Luckily for Heckler he was too frightened to notice the noise. It was his first real time in combat. Most of time was spent hoping a mortar shell didn't land on top of time. He preferred those chances than a Helghast soldier spraying at him with a fifty-round clip from his Sta rifle. Heckler was sandwiched between the broad shouldered frame of Rios and the stocky build of Gator, neither of which was comfortable. Glancing out through the corner of his eyes, Heckler looked at Rios. His tight, unsmiling face was calm as ever, his own rifle barrel down between his legs. Gator was nosily smacking away at a piece of chewing gum in his mouth.

" Yo swmapie!" snapped the large, pitch-black skin, figure of Mack across the APC, " Knock it off! Sounds like your chewing on some gator hide or somethin'." Gator flashed back a strange, gap filled grin.

" How 'ya know its not hide?" Mack's dark face drained in color as he was going to be sick. Heckler was too busy fretting to hear the exchange. His heart raced as he felt the APC slow down, preparing for them to embark from the protective cocoon of steel. _Hail Mary full of grace…_ Heckler forget all the other words expect for the last. _And at the hour of our death amen._ It had to count for something at least. Heckler had never been to church in his life. His girlfriend had tried to make him come but Sunday football beat mass any day of the week. Now strangely Heckler found himself wishing he had followed her there.

" Out ladies out!" yelled Davies as the thick steel doors swung open in the rear of the APC. The deep rattle of the 30mm chaingun engaging unseen enemies was a hopeful sign that they might be dead before they got out. Heckler was quickly moving out when someone shouted "Incoming!" and the APC twisted sideways and darkness followed.

Rios had thrown himself away from the APC before the rocket had hit it. A alone, black armor clad Helghast soldier was stupid enough to be standing above a shell-potched pillbox holding the tri-barrel rocket launcher. Rios and another solider tore him apart before he could get off another rocket. Even as the Helghast solider tumbled backwards, Rios was on his feet moving towards the flaming APC. A gaping hole was blown in one side. Looking inside, Rios was surprised to find only two of five men inside where dead. Gator was dazed shaking his head, but in one hand he clutched onto his rifle.

" Come on!" shouted Rios grabbing a unconscious Heckler and dragging him out by one arm while the other dazed soldiers piled out. The snaps of high-velocity rounds whizzing past them filled the air along with the crackle of automatic rifles.

Heckler slowly came to a dazed state of awareness when Gator was bent over him slapping him on the face.

" Wake up sonny we go work to do." Gator shouted above the noise tossing him a rifle. Heckler picked up the rifle and ran after Gator in a crouch. Tracers flew all around them. From inside the pillbox, Heckler could see the orange glow of Helghast goggles. Only then Heckler realized he was in fight for his life.

Twenty meters from the pillbox, Rios aimed his grenade launcher at the pillbox which contained two heavy chainguns that were chewing them apart. With a loud thump, the shiny brass round leapt from the thick barrel underneath the top one and flew inside the pillbox. A red explosion followed by a sudden bursting cloud of smoke and dust. Leaping up to his feet Rios ran forward as rounds buzzed all around him and dove into the smoky pillbox. Through the hazy smoke, a dazed Helghast soldier remained, staggering around with his rifle in one hand, the other on a ear. Rios never hesitated as he put five rounds into his chest, blowing splatters of blood against the wall behind him.

When the pillbox exploded, Gator raised his head from being prone in the mud with Heckler beside him.

" Come on, lets go." Gator shouted pulling Heckler to his feet as other ISA soldiers charged the trench. Heckler saw the man in front of them fall as three tracers burned straight through him. He fell into the mud, trying what puddles around him red. Heckler sprinted forward, everything around him a blur as he followed Gator towards the Helghast trenches.

Rios slapped in new clip as he stepped over six freshly killed Helghians that had been riddled by 7.92mm bullets from his rifle. He was moving along inside the trench in a crouch firing his rifle at any Helghast that presented himself to be a target. Already the blouse of his uniform was caked with a mixture of mud and wet blood. But he wasn't going to stop yet.

Heckler heard a _plop _in front of them and found himself starring at a helghast style frag grenade.

"Kick it back!" screamed Gator frantically. Heckler did so, and watched the shiny, steel, lemon shaped grenade sail over the trenches, before a muzzle flashed at them causing them to drop prone into the mud. Again they found themselves pinned down.

Heckler did so, and watched the shiny, steel, lemon shaped grenade sail over the trenches, before a muzzle flashed at them causing them to drop prone into the mud. Again they found themselves pinned down. Only this time Rios wasn't there to save them with his grenade launcher. Blindly the ISA soldiers returned fire with their rifles and a few tossed grenades. The exchange of fire was intense. Heckler could feel the heat of tracers flying past his helmet and face. Somehow he found the courage to crawl forward towards the trenches even as bullets sprayed mud up onto his uniform.

" Mitch you crazy son-uva-bitch!" laughed Gator who was close behind him pausing every now and then to return fire with Helgan soldiers in short bursts of his rifle. Heckler's ears rang from the roars of their M82 rifles. After a few feet of crawling under heavy fire, Heckler could peer down into the trench. Several dead Helghasts lay in the final pose which death left them. Blood seeped over their leather trench coats from their fatal wounds. The smell made Heckler gag as he rolled into the trench. Gator rolled into the trench with his rifle up and ready only to find the bullet riddled bodies.

" Guess we kinda late." he commented as they swiftly moved along the trench line to clear it of Helgan soldiers. Heckler was ready to reply when he saw a glimpse of Rios ahead of them.

"That's Rios , come on!" shouted Heckler as he chased after Rios.

Rios charged around a corner to see three very surprised Helgan soldiers manning a chaingun. Rios clubbed the closest soldier with the butt of his rifle as the other two tried to draw their Tropva machine pistols. Swinging his rifle as if he was hitting a baseball, Rios's rifle stock connected with the gas mask covered jaw of another. The mask was ripped clear off the Helgan's face, the gas mask flipping up into the air. The Helgan crumbled to the ground clutching his throat trying to breathe. The last Helgan drew a bead on the large but fast moving ISA soldier. Rios ducked as the machine pistol emptied itself at him. Rios dove away as the eighteen-round clip was emptied almost directly at him. He could feel rounds graze his flak vest before the gun went dry. The surprised Helgan looked at his useless pistol as the massive ISA soldier slowly drew himself up. Fumbling with another clip, the Helgan tried to reload his machine pistol. Rios drew back his rifle and slammed the shoulder of his weapon into the goggles of the Helgan with as much force as he could muster. The orange tinted goggles shattered upon impact, along with driving facial bones into the brain of the Helgan soldier.

Heckler turned the corner to watch Rios slam the butt of his rifle into the Helgan's face. Gator saw a Helgan on the ground reaching for his rifle and shot him in the back twice. The arm reaching for the weapon flopped to the ground motionless. Rios turned to them, his face splattered with some blood, his green eyes blazing with battle rage.

" We need to get out of the trench." He told them calmly despite the situation. Gator nodded and pulled out his GPS locator and looked at its palm size screen. The blue dot was their location, and showed them in a massive trench line dotted with pillboxes. What the GPS didn't show was dozens of Helghast soldiers. Heckler kept watch, waiting for a Helgan soldier to turn around the corner. His heart pounded in his chest waiting for that moment to arrive.

" Mitch!" shouted Gator as Rios boosted him over the trench wall," Come on!"

They had a way out of the trenches… now they jest had to find the mortars.


	2. Chapter 2 Deadly assault

Somewhere behind Helghtast lines

1st Platoon had regrouped once getting over the trenches and headed straight into Helghast controlled territory . Of the twenty men, only twelve remained. Sargeant Davies walked with a bullet to his wrist and had to switch which arm he used to fire his rifle. Rios took point with the platoon guiding them through a maze of bomb craters left by their own Skycalw fighters and abandoned equipment of war that was either destroyed or broken down beyond usage. Heckler had never seen such a wasteful sight. War was greedy, a consumer of everything that was thrown into it. Man and machine alike. His squad per Davies orders and Rios advice, they collected ammo and grenades from their dead and what wounded where too bad to move. A couple of medic where left behind to tend the wounded. Of Bravo company's original ninety men, seventy-two continued the probe. If there would be any more firefights such as that, the cost would be far too high for the location of a few mortars.

Gator chomped away at a piece of gum he pulled from a pocket as they made their way around behind Helghast lines. It was a situation that no one wanted to be in, especially when they had no air or tank support. The Helgans had a thing for armored vehicles, and they made good ones too. Many veterans could have told new soldiers horror stories of having a "light" tank take out an entire platoon in a minute with its 100mm cannon and three chainguns and heavy AT guns. Heckler felt as if every crater held a squad of Helgan soldiers that would pop out and ambush them once they passed by. Even with Mack and his SAW pulling up the rear of the column, Heckler felt uneasy about the probe and its start. But yet at the same time a wave of confidence had flown over him after his first firefight. _Yeah I walked through a wall of lead_…

"Yo Mitch, no flat tires man!'' Joked Gator who has had Heckler's feet snipping at his heels for the past minute or two of their march. Heckler apologized weakly and tried to shift his focus on their current task. Up ahead, Rios's vigilant green eyes scanned back and fourth, securitizing the smallest of details in the landscape. Like trained soldiers they walked in his footsteps, leaving a single foot trail in the sloggy mud. Rios had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was going to go awry very soon for them. He kept his index finger very close to the trigger of his rifle.

In the middle of their line next to Lieutenant Robby "RR" Robinson, was their radio operator who carried the long-range, high-frequency, SATLINK radio. Their personal radios where only good for a short, limited range where as the SATLINKs could communicate with vessels in outer space. The radio squawked and the operator grabbed the receiver and handed it to RR. The lieutenant took the handle and put it to his ear and listened intently.

"Yes sir, understood sir. Heading to you now sir." RR responded to the higher ranking person on the other end before tossing the receiver back to the radio operator. Gator leaned closer to Heckler.

"This can't be good." He whispered softly. Heckler agreed with him seeing the serious look on the lieutenant's face.

"Ok guys gather up." He waited until what was left of his platoon gathered around him before carrying on. "Captain Smith wants us to regroup on his position. One of his recon teams found some mortars… he's going to launch an assault once we get there."

"Fuck me sideways." Groaned Gator kicking at the mud in complete disgust. Heckler felt bile rise up into his throat. _What the hell is wrong with this day! I wasn't sent to hero school, why the hell can't we just bomb those mortars into a pile of ash and be over with it?_ Heckler wondered to himself. Sargeant Davies glanced over to the young private who was pale faced.

"You sick private?" Heckler shook his head no. "Good because don't complain about shit got it? I'm walking around with a bullet hole so if you do I'll give you one too." He growled raising up his wrist which had a bloody white bandage wrapped around it. Heckler took a few deep breathes and tried to remember why he had _volunteered_. He remembered not having enough money to continue on with his second year of college and how his stuck-up parents didn't want to give him any money because they where too busy partying. How the news ran clips of the brutalities that the Helghast army committed. It seemed obvious to do, especially with their tuition fund when you got out. Sara was mortified when he told her. _Tears streamed down her angelic face from wet blue eyes. _

_"Why Mitch they have plenty of soldiers, just ask your parents again." She pleaded. Mitch snorted in the hilarity of the idea._

_"You know my parents Sara. Why would they give money away when they can buy margaritas." _

_"Ask the bank for a loan?" she suggested, trying to make him change his course of direction. _

_"I can't even pay off the first one!" exulted Mitch in a loud, frustrated voice. Sara closed her eyes and sniffled. _

_"I'm sorry Mitch but I just can't live with this." Sara told him softly. Mitch took her hands in his. They were soft and warm. _

_"I don't really have any other choice. I promise I'll come back." Mitch told her, his voice secure in that promise he made to her. Sara looked up, her blue eyes streaked with red from crying. It made Mitch's heart wrench. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek lightly. _

_"Maybe Mitch, maybe. I just can't live with waiting to know whether your alive or not. I love you, but I can't do this alone."_

Up ahead Rios felt a slight vibration in the soles of his worn boots. His sharp eyes heard the rumble of heavy tracks slogging through the mud. He had heard the sound before… and it wasn't a welcomed one.

" Cover!" He rasped loud enough for the squad to relay the warning to the rest of the platoon. Rios dove into a crater with Davies and Yearland who had mud splattered all over the front of his blouse.

" What was it?" Yearland asked angrily as the hunkered down in the crater.

" Tanks." Rios said. Yearland's face went pale with fright.

"Tanks? "

" Light or heavy?" asked Davies peering over the top of the crater. Rios shrugged.

" Probably light."

Gator, Heckler, and Mack all lay prone inside a bomb crater when they heard the metallic rumble of tank tracks forcing their way through the annoying mud. Heckler saw his first glance of the fifty ton, black steel, behemoth that was considered a light tank. Upon seeing all the weapons that stuck out from its low profile dome turret, Heckler decided he didn't want to know what a heavy tank was like… nor did he wish to see one. A dozen light tanks slogged their way down the muddy road, some had Helghast soldiers sitting on the turret or backside of the tanks while an entire company of Helghast soldiers clothed head to toe in what looked like a black trench coat marched by. No one dared fire for fear of having a 100mm cannon being turned on them. Heckler tried to make himself as small as he possibly could. He could hear them talking amongst themselves, their voices sounding grossly distorted through their breathing apparatus. Their dome, skull-like helmets had their rims drawn just above their orange goggles. In a way they reminded Heckler of jet pilots because of the way their breathing apparatus covered the lower half of the face exposing not a single inch of skin. It made his skin crawl just looking at them. Nothing about them seemed human. Their actions were almost robotic as if they had been brainwashed from birth.

Minutes passed as the armored company passed them. Once they had passed, Gator rolled onto his back and wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

" Damn that was close." He whispered as if he were still afraid they would hear him. Heckler didn't answer. He felt like pissing himself, but the fear had frozen his bladder. He noticed the barrel of his rifle had a slight tremor to it. Looking down at his hands gripped around it he realized they were shaking. Breathing out in heavy, deep breathes to rid himself of the fear, Heckler clamed his nerves. Meanwhile, Yearland was up and getting the platoon to move out despite Rios persistence until Yearland turned on the powerful war fighter.

"What the hell has you so worried Rios? I outrank you so your opinion doesn't matter to me." Yearland snarled pompously, jutting his chin out. Rios glared down the skinny man with fierce green eyes burning with rage.

"Its called sweepers."

"Sweepers?" Yearland laughed, "What the Helghasts are going to clean something up around here."

"Yeah and its us. They lag behind to make sure they aren't being followed." Rios told him in his usual dark manner. Yearland snorted and waved Rios off.

" Well you go buzz off and leave this to people with _rank._" Yearland told Rios who stalked off in the thin mist that was drifting across them. Heckler and Gator had seen the whole ordeal and it puzzled the green soldier.

"Is it true about sweepers?" Heckler asked. Gator gave him a grim nod.

"Yup. Rios has been doing this a long time, killing orangies I mean, he knows his stuff. Must've been in his DNA I reckon." Gator said, mostly to himself pondering on the thought and memories of other planets and battles.

" What is that then." Heckler asked trying to pry into the shadowy lifestyle of Rios. Gator looked at him with a puzzled look that said how do you not know.

" War sonny."

After twenty minutes of marching towards their company's position, Gator noticed Rios was not in their ranks until a figure sudden appeared out of the mist, the distinct outline of a M82G in one hand and the other clutching a handful of something else. Rios went right over to Davies and Yearland and shoved a fistful of orange tinted goggles into Yearland's chest.

"Five scouts. They have been following you for the last twenty." Rios told them. Davies spat into the mud while Yearland closed his eyes.

" How many got away?" Yearland asked looking at the bundle of Helghan goggles. Rios's steady gaze confirmed the count.

" None."

"RR!" shouted Davies, "Get on the horn and tell…" Davies stopped mid sentence and stared straight ahead. They had found Bravo company… in their final resting place. Bodies lay scattered over the area, mixed in with craters from explosions still smoking from impact.

" Find survivors!" shouted RR as the platoon scattered out. Heckler saw a SAW gunner in a crater riddled with bullets, but a pile of spent casings was new to him along with ten dead Helghasts another ten meters away. Gator found a line of corpses neatly lined up in a row and shot in the forehead with a single round. Each of the bodies all had minor wounds.

"Shit!" rasped Gator angrily, "Fucking murderers!" Heckler saw Captain Smith among them. Beside the red hole in the center of his forehead, he seemed at peace, his mouth agape. Heckler vomited on the group, bile spilling out over his lips. As his throat burned Heckler noticed Rios looking down at the bodies.

" Is it always this bad?" Heckler asked him looking up into his cold, vacant eyes.

"Yeah." Rios whispered softly starring off into a personal abyss. Gator bent down and began to remove the ammo pouches from the executed soldiers. Rios snapped out of his personal stare and grabbed Heckler by the shoulder with a strong grip.

" Gather up as much ammo as you can. SAW belts, Gs, frags, whatever." He said aloud so the others could hear him too. Heckler bent down and grabbed the pair of SAW belts that where draped over an executed soldier's shoulders. Gator was scurrying around the battle site gathering up frag grenades when he saw a dozen, black clad, Helghtast soliders jogging straight towards him.

"Contact!" he shouted raising his rifle and letting off a long burst that sent the lead soldier flying off his feet, blood spilling from half a dozen holes in his flak vest. Gator knelt down and drew a bead on two more and dropped them both with another long burst when a furious barrage of snappy bullets from the Helghtast's Sta-52 assault rifles turned the area around into a cyclone of lead. Using his offhand, Davies aimed his M82 at a pair of soldiers firing at Gator and fired off a rifle grenade. The explosion sent two Helghans flipping through the air. Gator dove into a ditch only to see more Helghasts running towards them across the open ground.

"Shit there's more of them1" he shouted a warning to everyone who was taking up cover where ever they could find.

Rios bent down and lifted a SAW from the cold hands of a dead SAW gunner. Half a belt remained in the weapon.

"Mitch how many belts do you have?" Rios asked calmly even as the fire intensified. Heckler ducked his head under the crater more as some rounds snapped too close to his helmet.

"Two."

" Good. Now when I yell out you load the SAW, clear?" Rios asked him, his green eyes starring into his brown eyes to make sure it was clear he understood. Heckler nodded. Rios smiled and propped the SAW up on its bipod and began to blaze away at the assaulting Helghasts. The platoon let loose with rifle grenades and heavy automatic fire. Another dozen Helghasts fell as their assault continued. Heckler could hear the empty casing of Rios's SAW tinking off his helmet as he waited with another belt.

" Empty!" shouted Rios scooping up his own M82G and continued his barrage. Heckler hadn't loaded a SAW since basic, so slowly his hands fumbled with the belt that kept on twisting as he loaded the first few rounds of the belt into the feeder.

" What the hell is taking you so long?" angrily asked Rios as he slapped a fresh clip into the stock of his rifle. Heckler finally slapped the lid of the feeder down and jerked the bolt back loading the SAW.

"Done!" he screamed picking up his rifle again. Rios went behind the SAW to see a dozen Helghans charging towards the ditch Gator was in. Working the stream of tracers from the left to the right, the black clad soldiers fell as 7.62mm tracers ripped into their flak vest that could stop only two or three rounds from ISA weapons. Gator could see the stream of tracers race over his head as he heard the muffled screams of Helghast soldiers crying out as they died. As soon as Rios stopped firing, Gator popped up and but a burst straight into the masked and goggled face of Helghan soldier. The black mask exploded in a puff of red mist. Another five squadmates reinforced the ditch as the Helghasts kept coming.

Rios kept up his stream of fire when he saw two APCs roll up with two or three squads of soldiers behind them. At first he thought things were bad, but he found himself wrong. A couple rifle grenades stopped the first APC just as the gunner turned his Scylla 13mm chaingun towards the ditch and let loose a hail of heavy bullets. Rios drew a bead on the gunner and exploded his head with ten rounds and the stream of fire stopped. Gator curled up as the earth around him exploded as the heavy rounds tore into everything by him. He felt something heavy land on his back when the second APC opened up on them, this time directed at the pesky ISA soldiers in a crater with a machine gun. Rios ducked in time as tracer streaked overhead and showered them with dirt.

"Holy shit!" screamed Heckler as dirt showered over him.

"Stay down!" ordered Rios pressing an arm over the back of the green recruit to be sure he didn't rise up.

Gator rolled over to find the upper half of RR on him. The only difference was that it was missing a head. Rolling the body off, Gator yanked a frag from the upper breast clip and pulled the pin and began to cook it. Like Helghan grenades, the ISA fragmentation grenades had a five second delay fuse with five slots that would turn orange with each passing second. Once it reached the third slot, Gator lurched up to his knees and flung the grenade into the open top APC. The gunner in the APC was so intent of killing the scum that had killed his comrade in the other vehicle that he never noticed the lemon-shaped grenade land behind time with a clank. The grenade detonated with a powerful blast that could kill anyone inside ten-meters, which instead was confined into the tight space of a APC .

Hearing the stream of firing halting, Rios raised his head to see the burning APC… and the horde of Helghast soldiers running towards the ditch.

"Gator move your ass!" Rios shouted into his comm link in his helmet as he shoulder the SAW once more. Gator rolled up onto his feet and sprinted towards the crater as Rios blazed through half a belt to cover Gator. Heckler raised his own rifle and added short bursts towards the Helghtast charge. Most of the men in the ditch were dead. The last remaining soldier fended off the best he could before a hail of bullets and shotgun blasts from their Sta rifles finished his stand short.

"Empty!" cried out Rios picking up his rifle and launched a rifle grenade towards the onslaught. Gator crawled to the rear of the crater to find a dead soldier with a SAW belt draped over his back. Grabbing the belt, Gator crawled back to Heckler and slapped him on the back

" Here you go boy, I'll find some more." Gator grinned before dashing off a stream of automatic weapons fire following him. Rios emptied a clip at the Helghasts making them dive for cover as bullets tore into the pointmen of the assault. Heckler pulled the SAW bolt back when a round glanced off his helmet. The impact of the glance knocked him flat on his back with a scream. Rios looked down and saw Heckler fumbling around to try and find his helmet.

"Leave it and shoot back!" he advised as he got behind the SAW again.

What remained of the platoon was seven men with two SAWs and five rifles with plenty of grenades against a force of at least fifty Helghast soldiers. With their Lieutenant dead, Davies and Yearland shouted orders to the outnumbered soldiers. Rios and Mack laid down a steady stream of tracers into the advancing Helghasts, slowly dwindling their numbers… but when one went down it seemed as if two replaced the fallen. Gator came sprinting towards the crater with a handful of SAW belts twisting out behind him as bullets sprayed mud up all around him. Rios had about twenty rounds left in the current belt. Heckler had five clips and a single round for his G-Pack, which is what ISA soldiers often called their under-barrel grenade launcher. It wasn't much to fend off a Helghast assault of a company or more.

"Out!' shouted Rios and Heckler hurriedly began to reload the SAW. Rios began to pick off what seemed to be officers directing the attack with precise single shots to conserve ammo. Gator leapt into the trench with the SAW belts and threw them down nest to Heckler.

"There you are sonny." He laughed picking up his own rifle and began to put rounds down range. As Heckler slammed the loading well down, he heard a familiar, loud, clanking, rumble. Rios and Gator felt their stomach sink in despair. A few hundred meters away the low profile of a dozen light tanks and at least a company of infantry came up into the distance.

"Someone grab the radio!" screamed Davies as he fumbled to reload his rifle with his bad hand.

"Cover me!" shouted Gator as once again he sprinted out from the crater towards the ditch where they had stopped the Helghasts only a mere few meters away. Every soldier left let loose a salvo so furious and precise, thirty Helghans lay dead a few seconds later as the two SAWs burned through their belts, tearing bodies apart. Gator dove into the crater just as a bullet glanced off his helmet knocking it off his head with a loud clang. Landing ungracefully, yet alive into the ditch face first, Gator wiped the mud away from his eyes and began to crawl around the dead soldiers that lay there to find their radio operator. Next to RR's headless and legless torso was the radio operator, his head a mess of blood, gore, and skull fragments. Gator wrenched off the small radio pack and slung it over a shoulder and sprinted back towards the nearest crater, zig-zagging to avoid getting shot. Rios put the last five rounds of his belt into a soldier trying to draw a bead on Gator. He toppled over backwards, blood spraying from the fatal wound in his neck. Gator leapt into the crater and flipped on the power switch, pressing the receiver to his ear he heard the hum of a waiting signal.

"Two-Three Lead this is Fifteen-Bravo-Three, Broken Arrow, I repeat again Broken Arrow. Engaged with a company or more of infantry supported by light tanks. Requesting close air support." Gator yelled into the receiver to be sure he was being heard. A second later a calm voice came online.

"Fifteen-Bravo-Three, we're spread thin for air but we got a couple of birds in your area over, activate homing beacon." Gator looked on the side of the radio and saw a cover which he flipped up and pressed down on the button that was beneath it. "Air will be there in two minutes."

" Air will be here in two minutes guys!" screamed Gator.

"If we aren't dead in two minutes." Grumbled Heckler as a few close rounds splashed mud up into his face. Rios kept on firing short bursts. Then the 100mm cannons of the light tanks began to open fire. The first twenty rounds landed by the ditch, spraying mud all over the area, but soon the gunners began to adjust their aim and the rounds kept getting closer and closer. Heckler felt his whole body vibrate with each explosion. Everyone was covered in mud now and each of them was in their own way terrified. To their left, Rios heard a scream and saw a pair of bodies and missing limbs twisting in the air amidst a muddy explosion. Cowering down deep into the crater, Rios waited for the Helghast to come rushing in to finish them off. But the time never came as the shells kept raining down. A couple shells hit so close to them that Heckler had a ringing sensation in his ear drums. Trying to make the annoying muted sounds go away he shook his head, but it did nothing. Vomit rose into his mouth from the beating his body was taking on the inside from the concussion force of the falling shells.

Inside his crater, Gator was curled up with his rifle aimed up at the rim of the crater incase the Helghast charged them, when he saw a pair of sleek outlines in the sky of the wicked Skyclaw fighters. Each Skyclaw fighter was a pilots dream, faster, more agile than the Helghast Lufteagle, it could also carry a heavier weapon's load out than the Lufteagle. With four internal 30mm rotary cannons that would cover a football field in seconds and an assortment of air to air and air- to ground weaponry, it was a brutal ground attack jet. Streaking in at mach 1, the fighters let loose a salvo of Dragonbite anti-tank missiles that streaked in across the sky for their intended targets. Those inside the light tanks never heard or saw the smoke trails rushing for them. Half a dozen tanks exploded in spectacular fireballs as their ammunition cooked off adding to the destruction of the missile's warheads. Gator saw the jet's wings lit up as they fired their cannons at the glob of infantry that was assaulting them. Hundreds of the 12oz high-explosive rounds rained down on the unsuspecting Helgans. A single shell could explode a full size man as a balloon would if filled too much. Gator saw a majority of the murdering Helgans disappear in a freakish display of erupting mud and body parts. As the Skyclaw fighters continued their assault the survivors grabbed whoever was wounded and began to run back towards the ISA lines. Up from the sky a Vulcan dropship swooped down and quickly landed on the muddy battlefield a few hundred meters away. With a close resemblance to the bird of prey, the Vulcan was .the back bone of air transportation for the ISA. Able to carry a platoon and a Wolverine fast-attack vehicle several hundred miles behind enemy lines.


End file.
